Friday, January 31, 2014

Fred Korematsu Day in Illinois

A few states have moved to honor a man who lost his case in the U.S. Supreme Court 70 years ago. Fred Korematsu, a citizen born in California, was ordered during World War II to report to an internment camp because he was of Japanese descent. He resisted, his case went to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled against him in what is now considered one of its most infamous decisions. NPR's All Things Considered of Jan. 30 has the story. 3 min., transcript available.
Several documentary videos about the case with additional teaching resources can be found here (27 min.) and here (36 min.).